Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch showered praise on Anthony Edwards after they registered a 143-101 Game 3 win in the Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday to make it 1-2 in the series.
Edwards single-handedly outscored Oklahoma City 16-14 in the first quarter. He scored a game-high 30 points in 30 minutes and was rested for the final quarter as the Wolves had a 37-point lead.
“Just ultimate pressure on the ball and shoot it as much as I can,” Edwards said of his approach as the Wolves attempted to avoid falling behind 3-0 in the conference finals for the second straight year.
Edwards was 6-for-8 from the field in the first quarter, and he finished 12-for-17 for the game, including 5-for-8 from 3-point range. The talisman scored nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
“I feel like the second game I was in a rhythm, it was just my trey ball wasn’t falling,” said Edwards, who led the league in 3-point makes in the regular season with 320. “Just getting back in the gym, watching shots go in and just keep trusting it. That’s all.”
Finch said Edwards was able to hit the ground running in the opening quarter, which helped them stay in front.
“That’s what we need him to do, and when he does it, it takes us to another level,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “I thought that’s what was really big in the first quarter. He got a couple of those steals. He was all over the place. He knew that we needed that type of start from our defense, and he brought it. It was really, really good.”
“He got some early ones easy, and with good players like that, you can’t let them get comfortable early or it looks like that,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who was held to 14 points on 4-for-13 shooting while registering six assists and four turnovers.
The fourth game of the series will be played on Monday.
